In spite of a few nervous moments in the car, we made it to our first stop without difficulty. Once on the motorway, driving was easy. It’s the surface streets that are nerve wracking.
Anyhoo….we got to Leeds Castle by about 10:30 and had a lovely time touring the beautiful old building. It was originally a fortress for about 200 years, then it became the home of kings and queens for another 300 years. The first monarch to call it home was King Edward I in 1278. Another famous resident was Henry VIII. He made a lot of improvements but preferred Hampton Court Palace. Leeds Castle is where he banished his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, when he wanted to divorce her to marry Anne Boleyn.
In the mid 16th century it was turned over to a nobleman and it was subsequently owned by 5 different families. Finally in 1926, the last family sold it to a wealthy heiress for the equivalent of 10.5 million pounds in today’s money. Lady Baillie totally renovated the castle in the Tudor style but with a 1920s flair. It was quite cool to see how such an ancient castle could look in a modern style.
After visiting the Castle, we headed to the Castle View Restaurant for lunch.
After lunch I took a deep breath and got back into the car for the drive to Dover. We went to see the famous White Cliffs of Dover and ended up spending several hours in the Dover Castle. We saw the cliffs but didn’t find a good place to stop and take a photo.
Dover Castle is administered by the English Heritage and, since we are members for a year, we got in for no charge. Of course we paid for the membership but we’ll more than make up for that with the different places we’ll see.
Dover Castle was founded in the 11th century by Henry II, who was father to Richard the Lionhearted and King John (who the nobles hated so much they made him sign the Magna Carta; we’ll see that when we get to Salisbury Cathedral next week). It has served as a major defensive fortress throughout British History, up to and including WWII.
We also toured the underground passageways and rooms that have been used for defense since the Napoleonic Wars. These rooms were used to plan and execute Operation Dynamo, the plan to rescue the trapped British and French soldiers from Dunkirk in May 1940. I thought Peter knew everything there was to know about WWII but even he didn’t know about these underground rooms.
The tour was fascinating but, unfortunately, we weren’t able to take any photos. By the time the tour was finished, we were exhausted and decided it was time to head to our new home for the evening. Our hosts, Mary and Simon, are absolutely lovely and welcomed us with open arms; not to mention a bottle of wine and other goodies. After chatting with them for a little while, we settled on our patio with wine and cookies.
Tomorrow we’re heading to Canterbury to check out the Cathedral. For now, though, it’s after 10pm and I need a shower and a bed. Talk with you tomorrow. Love to all.
Leeds Castle is BEAUTIFUL!!
You are driving up cliffs, you are being brave in your food choices, taking photos and giving us such an in depth narrative of your travels. Woman POWER! You get it done! So Adventurous! So Amazing !
Leeds Castle is actually a working Castle. They hold conferences, weddings and special parties.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog. Thanks for your great comments.
Love Leeds Castle! Isn’t that where I took your mom and dad? So glad you’re having a good time!
It’s where you took one of my favorite pics of my folk. I tried to find the exact spot but I didn’t quite get it.